Eating My Way Through Philly

Philly won my heart because I could tell immediately that it’s a place where people love food and take a lot of pride in what they’re serving you. And it was a breath of fresh air to go on Yelp and rarely see any poorly-rated restaurants because lately I’ve been pretty down on DC’s food scene. Sure, there’s some good restaurants and nice markets, but walking into any restaurant and having a meal is a gamble since the quality varies a lot. And too many of the good restaurants are quite expensive. It’s been a bit of a transition coming from St. Louis, which while probably not generally thought of as a food hot spot among the general public, had a great mix of good restaurants with different cuisines and at varying price levels.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been having this conversation a lot with people, asking what they think about DC’s food scene and trying to understand what makes it a bit underwhelming. Some of the things that come up are: the transience of much of the city’s population and restaurants that cater to tourists or politicians and not to the majority of residents, among others. And as far as I can tell, there’s no real “DC” food or culinary identity, apart from Ben’s Chili Bowl. This article, while almost two years old now, I think really gets at some of the things going on in the food scene here.

Anyway, that was a long-winded way to say that I was stoked to be in Philly with its good food and related traditions. Before going, I got a few recommendations, and people there were equally as generous, offering their opinions on where we could get the best cheesesteaks, donuts, etc. While I didn’t have a bad meal anywhere, the highlights were definitely the meals I had at two of the city’s biggest markets.

Reading Terminal Market

A crazy dessert tower by Chocolate By Mueller, also home of the chocolate-covered onion (maybe next time, I’ll work up the courage to try that…).

A foodie’s dream, this public market located centrally in the city is housed in a former train terminal and has hundreds of stalls of varying types: dessert and candy stalls, Thai food, Indian food, bulk shops, sandwich places, meats, cheese, flowers and anything else you can dream of.

I visited here a few times and had a great turkey reuben from Hershel’s East Side Deli, as well as tried a few sweets from different stalls, but everything looked fantastic. I don’t think you could go wrong. The longest line in the place was Beiler’s Bakery, where you could watch the bakers frosting some of the most delicious looking donuts you’ve ever seen (and this is coming from someone who rates donuts pretty low on my list of calorie splurges).

Italian Market

Paesano’s Arista Sandwich. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. Go here immediately and eat a sandwich.

What a wonderful place. The day I went, it was freezing, but that didn’t stop the outdoor vendors, selling fruits, meats, fish and more, nor the eaters, who were braving the cold to eat at stands along the street with no shelter from the whipping winds. This whole area was full of tiny markets, like the wonderful DiBruno Bros., that were selling mixes of pasta, cheeses and meat. And places were packed with people eagerly shopping. Definitely a place where people care about the quality of their food.

And speaking of quality: Paesano’s. They claim to be “Philly style sandwiches with Italian inspiration,” but a more accurate would be the simple “Best sandwich ever.” I had the Arista, which had awesomely tender suckling pig, broccolini, Italian long hots and provolone. It was enough for two meals (had I not been starving) and was only $8. Did I mention yet how much I love the food scene in Philadelphia?

Any places I missed? What should be on my must-eat list next time I visit Philadelphia?